For every outdoor recreationist, food plays a major role in enhancing the experience. For me, planning any type of trip includes a careful analysis of what kind of food will be included. Weight, calories, nutrition, and ease of use determine what makes a trip or stays home. There are two items I almost always bring if I am going hard and/or spending the night somewhere. They are Mountain House freeze dried dinners and Hammer Nutrition Gel.

Good Time for a Gel Shot

Hammer Nutrition Gel is an energy gel that is made from real fruit, complex carbohydrates, and other natural ingredients. Whenever I feel myself getting close to bonking, a full shot of this get always helps get me back in line. What I really like is that the gel provides a very controlled injection of energy that almost immediately impacts my performance. This is accomplished without a rush or surge of energy. Instead, I just feel equalized and strong again. Another great thing about the Hammer Gel is that they sell a small five shot flask that can be refilled. This is much more convenient than the individual packets because you don’t have to open the packet or deal with the sticky waste. Also, sometimes it is nice to have more than one shot at a time.

Enjoying Mountain House

For overnighters, the only dinner I eat is one of the many Mountain House freeze dried dinners. The product is made in Oregon, using simple, natural ingredients. The best thing about Mountain House dinners is that they are all “just add water” dinners. You don’t need any extra cook ware besides your stove and spoon. You boil your water, add it to the Mountain House Pouch, and let it sit for 9 minutes. When done, it is fully hydrated, delicious, and super easy to clean. To clean, I just add a small amount of water to my empty pouch, reseal, shake vigorously, then open and drink clean. The water tastes just like my dinner did, and adds more hydration to my evening which I usually need. No soap or rinsing required. A great space saving tip is to keep old Pouches handy for reuse. When I take my wife, I pack all the dinners in smaller Ziploc bags, and use two old pouches as our dinner bowls. They can be reused over and over, are super easy to clean, and pack small and light. Nothing beats Mountain House for ease of use, nutrition, taste, and weight.

Whatever outdoor adventures you have planned, consider trying Hammer Nutrition Gel and/or Mountain House freeze dried dinners. The US Outdoor basement has a wide variety of Mountain House dinner options. They also sell breakfasts and desserts. In addition, you can find large refill containers for you gel flasks. Multiple flavors are available. Just ask the employees which ones they like, or try a small packet of each to find the one you like.